Friendship's Beginnings
by rustbucket
Summary: Starlight Express fic. A bit of Sparrow's past, dealing with when she first met Dustin. This fic is dedicated to someone who showed me friendship, and saved me from myself.


Sparrow, a ten-year-old steam locomotive, sat alone near a corner of the yard, watching the other trainlets playing. She was the youngest steam locomotive in the yard, and the only female one in the area. She sighed, as her older brother, Rusty, a twelve-year-old steamer, rolled up to her, and sat next to her.  
  
"Hey, Sparrow, don't you wanna come play with me and the others?" he asked. "It's not good for you to be sitting here all alone, so much…"  
  
"No, thanks, Rusty… I think I'll stay here…"  
  
"Sparrow!"  
  
The two looked up, as Poppa called her. She sighed, as Rusty stood, and helped her to her wheels. The brace that ran from her ankle to her knee made a slight squeaking noise, reminding her of why most of the other trainlets didn't want her to play with them.  
  
Sparrow had been in an accident, when she was very tiny. Her lower leg had been horribly mangled, and she still had trouble using it, thus she wore the brace to help her. She shrugged at her brother's questioning look, and rolled toward their father, head down, figuring she was in trouble, or something.  
  
Poppa put his hand on her shoulder, and rolled with her, back to the roundhouse. She lowered her head, and rolled along like one condemned, figuring she was in for a good yelling-at, when they got into the roundhouse. She looked up, when they stopped outside the door.  
  
"Sparrow, dear, do you remember when I told you about that accident, where that bunch of hoppers were so badly damaged they had to be scrapped?"  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
"Well, one of the younger hoppers on the train is here, over in the freight yard. He survived, but he's not in the greatest condition. I was hoping you might like to go spend some time with him, and keep him from being too lonely."  
  
"Poppa, I-"  
  
"Come on, now, Sparrow… I'd ask Rusty, but he's busy with training, and really doesn't have time."  
  
Sparrow knew for a fact that that was a lie. Her brother had just been out, playing games with the other trainlets, playing games. Rusty hadn't really wanted to go, and that was that. Sparrow was the only one who liked being alone, for the most part, and didn't like being around the teasing of the other trainlets.  
  
"Poppa, I was going to say that I was gonna go see him."  
  
The older steamer smiled, and sent her on her way. She slowly made her way into the freight yard, and had a boxcar she'd known since she was tiny point the way to the place where the hopper was staying.  
  
She knocked on the door, and found herself face-to-face with a brick truck about her age. She knew him, but knew that he also preferred spending time all alone.  
  
"Hello, Flat-Top."  
  
"Wot're you doin' 'ere?"  
  
"Poppa sent me here to visit the new hopper? Do I have the right place?"  
  
"Nope. Do I look like a gravel 'opper to you?" he said, a bit too loudly. "I'm a brick truck. See? Bricks! No gravel! Go down the road!"  
  
Sparrow turned, and rolled off, muttering, without even saying goodbye. She couldn't stand it, when people just assumed she was stupid, because she was a female. She really wanted to haul off and hit Flat-Top right upside his head, but she didn't dare. Flat-Top could easily overpower her. And sje knew he would hurt her, without even thinking about it, he'd done it, before. He'd gotten angry at her, when she'd accidentally bumped into him, one night, and had punched her on the side of her head. She hadn't been wearing her helmet, and had had a nasty bruise for days.  
  
She rolled over to the area where the hoppers were housed and went over to a hopper who'd often gone on training runs, with her brother.  
  
"Hiya, Bud."  
  
"Hey, Sparrow. What brings you here?"  
  
"Poppa sent me to visit with the new hopper."  
  
"Oh," he replied. "It's really nice of you to come visit him. He's been here a few days… He's really lonely, being stuck here."  
  
"Where is he, Bud? I'd better go see him."  
  
"His name's Dustin. He's the little guy, over there, in the corner."  
  
"Thanks, Bud. See you later."  
  
"Bye, kiddo."  
  
Sparrow rolled over to the young hopper that sat, sort of hunched over, in the corner. He was wearing a gray outfit, and had bruises all over him. His left eye was swollen nearly shut, and he had a split lip, among other things. He held his left arm in a way that gave Sparrow the feeling that he'd hurt it pretty badly. He looked up, as she carefully knelt next to him.  
  
She could see the curiosity in his eyes, but she could also see the haunted look in his eyes. She knew the look very well. It was the one in her own eyes, when she looked into the mirror, every morning. It was the look of loneliness, and knowledge of the fact that people were going to say or do something hurtful to you, sometime soon. He thought she was there to tease him, or something.  
  
"Hello, Dustin. I'm Sparrow," she said. "Poppa told me you were lonely, and said I should come visit you."  
  
"'E did?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Ya don't 'ave to, y'know…" he mumbled. "I likes bein' by m'self…"  
  
"I do have to. It'll give us both something to do. So… How'd you get hurt so bad?"  
  
"I was in an accident. 'Ow come you gotta wear that brace?"  
  
"Same reason."  
  
"Really?" he asked. "You got messed up, too? I guess I ain't the only one who got all mangled, then."  
  
Dustin smiled, then winced, as his lip started bleeding, again. Sparrow went and grabbed some tissues, and sighed. Even if he wasn't in the best of health, at the moment, she could tell that their friendship had gotten off to a pretty good start. She smiled, inwardly, and got the feeling she wouldn't be lonely, anymore. It felt good, knowing she'd finally made a good friend. 


End file.
